How have you inspired change and motivated others in your community? by Nicholas

How have you inspired change and motivated others in your community? by Nicholas - June 2025 Scholarship Essay

My Boys and Girls Club has been my second home for the last 13 years. I have spent more time running around the gym or playing ping pong than in bed. Every day in the summer, I was the first kid there and the last one to leave. Growing up and being at the club so much, I learned so much. I could see what it is to be a leader, have excellent role models around me at all times, and a support system that I couldn't be more grateful for. So now, being one of the oldest kids in the club and a staff member at my Boys and Girls Club, I get to impact the kids in my club daily. At my Boys and Girls Club, I used to do this program called Learn to Lead, which is a leadership program for middle school and up, where you get to do club and community service activities like helping at a meet in the street in our town or a club clean up. That program helped me find my love for service. I also participate in a program called Capital City Crew, an ice hockey program for the youth, and I am an on-ice coach. One of my favorite memories at the club happened here. It was the beginning of our season at the crew, and this kid, Henry, was starting to learn how to skate. I saw him gripping the wall for his life and barely tiptoeing down the ice, so I skated over to him, and we started talking. A little about Henry is that he isn't the biggest or strongest kid, but boy, did he love hockey, and he was going to be like his brother and play some hockey. So when talking to him, I was able to gauge how comfortable he was, so these next few weeks, we would work on our skating and getting more comfortable to then working on stick handling, then shooting, passing, to just these little skills and watching Henry go from this kid who didn't want to leave that wall to skating circles around others and watching him be so determined to keep working. Around my club, as a staff member, I run rotations with the kids, mostly our younger ones, so when we are in our rotations, I get to show these kids the leadership skills and other great traits that the club has taught me. A big thing I am focused on in rotations is our sportsmanship because I am usually in the gym, so whenever I see someone getting upset, getting to talk and understand, and help them through it is always a great feeling. Landon is one of the most competitive kids I have ever met. he is an incredible athlete, but his temper is not so much. Landon and I have gotten very close because each time he was upset, I always pulled him aside and conversed with him because I knew that if he got it under control, he would be unstoppable. Now, watching Landon from the beginning of this school year to now, I see that he is an entirely different kid, and the conversations I've had with him have had an impact. In my club, I play an essential role in the kids' lives and inspire them to grow and be their best versions.